Upcoming Community Forum! Ties That Bind Two Holy Cities - Tuesday, September 15 at 6:30PM - College of Charleston Libraries
Join the College’s Race and Social Justice Initiative for “Ties That Bind Two Holy Cities: Reflections in Charleston by Survivors of the 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing,” Burke High School Auditorium, 244 President Street, Charleston SC, Sept 15, 6:30pm, doors open at 6:00pm.
In response to the tragic shootings at the Emanuel AME Church on June 17, 2015, the College of Charleston and community partners will host a series of events to examine the history of racial violence targeting African American churches. This community forum will particularly reflect on the historic connections between the 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, and the 2015 shootings at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. Speakers will include Sarah Collins Rudolph, Junie Collins Williams, and Janie Collins Simpkins. Their sister, Addie Mae Collins, was one of the four victims of the church bombing that took place in Birmingham on September 15, 1963. Representatives of the Emanuel AME Church, College of Charleston, and City of Charleston will also speak. The Mother Emanuel Claire K. Washington Choir will perform musical selections beginning at 6:00pm to honor the victims and survivors of these tragedies.
As a prelude to the public forum on Sept 15 at Burke High School, the College of Charleston’s Race and Social Justice Initiative will host a film screening of “4 Little Girls,” a film about the 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, directed by Spike Lee. Event will take place on Monday, Sept 14, 6:00 pm, Addlestone Library, Room 227.
For more information about these events, contact Jon Hale (halejn@cofc.edu), Tracy Snipe (tracy.snipe@wright.edu) or the College of Charleston Libraries (843-953-8002).
The College of Charleston’s Race and Social Justice Initiative is led by the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, African American Studies, and Addlestone Library. Additional supporters include SunTrust Banks and the International African American Museum (IAAM). Over the next eighteen months, the College will host various events to promote dialogue about race and social justice in Charleston, SC, and beyond.
